In tariff spat with Donald Trump, China finds an unlikely ally in Ronald Reagan

The Chinese embassy in the US took a dig at the Trump administration’s latest rounds of tariffs on Monday by quoting former US president Ronald Reagan.

The embassy posted a video clip of Reagan’s 1987 speech in which he criticised the idea of imposing tariffs on foreign goods. The post titled “Ronald Reagan vs tariffs: 1987 speech finds new relevance in 2025”, was shared on X by the embassy.

In the video, Reagan says, “At first, when someone says let’s impose tariffs on foreign products, it looks like they are doing the patriotic thing by protecting American jobs and products. And sometimes, for a short while, it works. But only for a short time.”

Ronald Reagan vs. #tariffs : 1987 speech finds new relevance in 2025pic.twitter.com/CuAMw1eQXN

— Chinese Embassy in US (@ChineseEmbinUS) April 7, 2025

He warns that such moves hurt innovation, create inefficiency, and lead to retaliation, which can ultimately shrink markets and cost millions of jobs.

"Eventually, protected companies stop innovating and competing, leading to inefficiency and poor management. Retaliation from other countries sparks trade wars, prices rise, people stop buying, and markets collapse—costing millions of jobs. We must not risk America's prosperity for short-term gain," he adds.

The post comes amid Washington imposing new tariffs on several countries including China. In response, Beijing announced 34% duties on American goods, to begin from Thursday. US president Donald Trump on Monday retaliated by threatening further tariffs if China did not roll back its decision by April 8. Beijing quickly replied, saying it would implement countermeasures to "safeguard its own rights and interests."

Reagan, however, makes for an unlikely reference point for China. The former US president was a staunch anti-communist who actively pushed policies aimed at challenging and rolling back communist governments during his time in office.